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Google Play Cleared 60,000 Apps in February

Google is clamping down on the spammy, low-quality apps that have been weaseling their way into the Google Play store. In February, the company cleared 60,000 apps from its shelves, more than it's ever done before, according to TechCrunch.

Of course, not all the apps were deleted by Google. "Some, such as a handful of Sprint bundles and apps, as well as the product from startup cautionary tale Color and several others, were likely pulled by the publishers themselves," says TechCrunch. "But with a number as high as 60,000, it's clear that many of these were pulled by Google directly."

Here's why: The company takes a hard-line stance on spam, particularly anything that violates its Terms of Service, impinges on others' copyrights, spreads malware or contains graphic, sexual material. Unlike Apple, which has an army of reviewers to eyeball each app one-by-one before it goes live, Google does so after the fact. But as the store continues to grow, so too have its algorithms, which have also gotten better at detecting spam.